


Worth It

by TherapyBard



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb Widogast Needs a Hug, Canon Temporary Character Death, Critical Role Spoilers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Missing Scene, Nightmares, POV Caleb Widogast, Temporary Character Death, Yeza Brenatto Needs a Hug, Yeza is the best husband ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 14:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30023019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TherapyBard/pseuds/TherapyBard
Summary: While resting in the Plane of Fire, Caleb and Yeza talk about fault and family.
Relationships: Luc Brenatto & Yeza Brenatto, Nott | Veth Brenatto & Caleb Widogast, The Mighty Nein & Caleb Widogast, Yeza Brenatto & Caleb Widogast, Yeza Brenatto/Nott | Veth Brenatto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37





	Worth It

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Discussion of the (temporary) death of a child, nightmares, self-hatred, guilt.
> 
> This is just a scene I imagined after the last episode. I'm trying to get into the habit of writing out scenes like this since if I like it, someone else will. Write the fanfiction you want to see in the world, as they say.

_ “I’m proud of you, Bren.” Caleb could see nothing but flames. A firm, comforting hand squeezed his shoulder. Voices came through the roaring of the fire. Screams. Veth, Beau, Jester, everyone screamed. “You’re home now.” _

_ The hand moved from his shoulder to his wrist. Another person took his other arm and pulled him to the ground. Now Caleb found himself held down in the snow. Friends stood around him with crystals in their hands. “You need to be more powerful. This will help. Why are you fighting this? That’s so selfish. You’d put yourself above the fate of the world? Above us?” _

_ Caleb was back in the plane of fire. Luc stood in front of him frozen in Terror. Caleb’s arm moved on its own as it aimed a fireball at the innocent child. No. No. Don’t. He cast the spell. Luc burned again as Veth screamed, calling him a monster. Good. She could finally see the truth. _

_ Fire surrounded him again. The screams had a new, familiar source. The still bodies of his parents laid before him in his childhood home. They were already dead but the screams remained. They always would. More bodies fell to the ground. They had no faces but Caleb recognized them anyway. More people he killed in the name of the empire. Their screams joined. Then came the Mighty Nein. Then Astrid and Eadwulf. Luc and Yeza. Marion. Essek. Everyone Caleb knew and cared for burned. Finally, Trent stood before him. He laughed as flames burned him from the inside out. “You are a very worthy successor, my dear Bren.” _

Caleb woke up barely able to breathe. He did his best to ignore his burning scars as he fought to get his hyperventilation under control. He couldn’t remember the dream but the fear remained, as did the dread. “It’s okay. Everyone is safe,” he mumbled. He considered calling Frumpkin before remembering Luc had him. He couldn’t take his familiar back now. “You’re okay, Widogast. Everyone is okay.”

“Is everything alright?” Yeza asked. Caleb pushed himself up. Yeza sat with Luc’s head in his lap. “Did something happen?”

“No, there is no danger. I’m sorry I woke you.”

Yeza laughed. “I wasn’t asleep. It’s hard to… I’m happy Veth can get some rest, I’m sure she needs it, but I can’t. No right now. Not after…” He ran his fingers through Luc’s hair.

“I’m sorry. That must have been very hard.”

“No, don’t apologize. I got enough of that from Veth. I don’t blame anyone except that Elemental and the person that chased us here in the first place.”

But this  _ was  _ his fault. They were pursued because of him. Because he trusted the wrong person and his life went up in flames because of it.

_ “Good people are easy to be misled to think they’re at fault for the things that bad people use to victimize them.” _

Caleb shook his head. “I won’t say this is my fault because I promised I would try not to, but objectively I am the reason we are in this situation. You have been very understanding, everyone has been. Thank you for that, but it is… You have every right to be upset.”

“I am upset,” Yeza said. “I’m more than upset. I don’t get angry often, but this.. My son is in danger and that assembly is the reason why  _ again _ . They are who I’m mad at. I’m not going to turn that against you. That wouldn’t be fair. I can’t be upset that you are in my life because you all are the reason Veth is still alive and with me now. I thought she might be dead and she’s not. And she’s herself again because of that spell you made for her. I’m very grateful for that.”

“Veth is very smart. I’m sure she could have found her way back to you on her own.”

“I don’t doubt that, but who knows what our lives would look like if that had happened? Maybe things would be worse. All I know is that right now, we have each other. I’ll go through anything to keep it that way. I don’t know your history with this person that’s following us so I can’t say if I agree or not that you’re the reason this is happening, but I do know that Veth cares about you and you help keep her safe. That’s enough to make it worth it.”

Caleb smiled. “You are a saint, my friend. Veth deserves that. She’s saved me time and time again. I care about her a lot and I’m glad she has someone like you.”

“And I’m happy Veth has people like you all looking out for her. Not that she needs it, but she deserves it.”

“That she does.” Caleb yawned. “We should get some more sleep while we can. I believe the worst is behind us, but there are still steps we must take to make sure you are all safe.”

“You can go back to sleep. I… I don’t know if I can yet.”

“Well, you should try at least. Today was a long day and-”

Yeza shook his head. “I wasn’t even there when… When he… I can’t let anything happen again. I won’t let him out of my sight until we’re somewhere safe.”

“Right, of course. I can’t imagine how you must feel right now. Just… I hope you don’t blame yourself, either.”

“I didn’t do anything to help him. I was completely useless that entire fight and he died in someone else’s arms. I know it wasn’t my fault, but I still feel like I failed him.”

“I won’t tell you to stop feeling that way, Gods know I am a master when it comes to self-hatred, but you should try to forgive yourself. Everything is okay now. You did what you could at the time and that’s all you can really ask of yourself.”

“Thank you. I know that logically, but…”

“Emotions are tricky, ja? Logic is not always an effective tool against them. I get that. I promise to do everything I can to get you and your son somewhere safe tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Caleb. I… I would love for you to be my son’s teacher some day.”

“I look forward to it as well. And who knows, maybe when this is all over I can teach you some things. Based on what Veth has told me, you have the brains for it.”

Yeza nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I wanted to write this since 1) the show has a tragic lack of Caleb and Yeza scenes, 2) I don't see anyone talking about how Yeza must be feeling after his son literally just died, and 3) I kind of tired of seeing Caleb/Veth shippers acting like Caleb canonically doesn't like Yeza. I know that's not everyone, but I've seen it enough that it annoys me. I see Jester/Caleb shippers doing the same thing by saying Jester canonically isn't into Fjord anymore. As a Jester/Caleb shipper, don't project your favorite ships onto canon at the expense of other characters please.  
> That being said, I'm planning on writing something pretty different (for me) soon. I'm doing a No Magic AU (or whatever the actual term is). I don't have an actual plot outlined or anything, but I do have a general idea for the story and have endgames for some of the characters written down. I already have the first chapter laid out so hopefully that's not too far off.


End file.
